New Stampin’Up Catalogue and Resurrected Hamster!

Waahey!! It’s out and it’s gorgeous! The new Stampin’Up!catalogue is here and if you ever need to happily while away a couple of hours, you’d be blissfully happy reading this.

I can take orders online– you dont need to be local and for any who want to submerge themselves in their crafting place with a whole plethora of lovelies, just email me and I’ll place an order ASAP! I’ve an Open House/ Launch Party tonight, to which anyone is invited. Email me for directions and it starts at 8pm. Better run off for two mins as I’ve got lemon and lime cake, chocolate sponge and coffee muffins all baking away happily in the oven…

Phew, I’m back! Just need to do Sticky Gingerbread and Tiffin and then I’ll be done for tonight! Are you liking the card? I’ve got loads to post, but thought I’d be restrained with just one. Notice the newcolours and New stamps and wait til you see the punches, (there’s a bauble punch that matches the bauble I’ve used in the card).This is, in fact, a Christmas set- the ‘balloon’ is a bauble and the ‘basket’ is part of a Christmas tree! Don’t be constrained by the normal boundaries.

Isn’t the set lovely. At £15.95 for the wood mount and only £12.95 for the clear mounted option, it’s an inexpensive set to do Christmas, and all the year round (a la balloon!).

Life is rather hectic at the moment. I’m preparing for two 6 week long craft courses in the Wavertree area of Liverpool. They’re for beginners and are particularly aimed at women who are not in work at the moment. If you know anyone who fancies a FREE six week long course on Papercrafting or a 6 week one on Cutting the Cost of Christmas (craft wise!!) email me. Both courses will be on a Wednesday evening from 7:30-9pm and the first starts the 13th October. Email me for details.

Family life has been a mixed bag of hormones, rapidly multiplying spellings, homework, more house tidying and the odd little trauma like when we thought the hamster had died. My second biggie, is 12 and animal crackers. It’s been her ever present goal since the age of 4 to become a vet, and time is doing nothing to dull the desire. She has a 1 year old hamster. I say hamster, but it could well be mistaken for a mini-guineapig, such is its large frame. It’s becoming more tame, thankfully, but is happiest when it thinks it’s a meerkat and standing on its hind legs! It’s somewhat of a houdini and regularly tries to push and knaw out of her cage. Well, Cinnamon (the hamster, not my child!!), had not appeared out of her plastic square bed and Heather brought her in, worried that she died. A little prodding (gently) with a pencil and poking, we realised that this ball of fluff was in fact dead. No breathing, no moving, absolutely no signs of life. You can imagine the tears and upset from my daughter.

Hang on, she said, and dived upstairs to consult one of the many animal books she owns- its ok, she might be hibernating. ‘Hibernating?’ I said incredulously, I really didnt want to give her false hope and the thing was well and truly still and stiff. So, we tried poking and stroking some more. Unbelievably there was a tiny movement and so operation ‘warm up the beast with killing it or cooking it’ swung into action. Nothing much was working. The poor thing was cocooned in a towel big enough to have swamped my 2 year old and she looked pretty poorly. Steve had a brainwave- ‘put the towel in the tumbledrier’ he announced. Heather was unsure, but, you know, it actually came right around and despite having various bits of food shoved into its little mouth , it’s back to its little hairy self. Amazing! Heathers first correct diagnosis and something to be learned for me- I didnt know domestic pets hibernated, but then, the temperature had plummeted. One of my friends commented how awful it would have been if we’d buried the hamster. Hmmm, I’d thought the very same thing, eugghh, doesnt bear thinking about!

Righto, more baking to do. Forgive me for racing off, but I have calories anxiously waiting to make their home on someones thighs!!